Tidy Towns

Louth looking goods award ceremony took place in the Crowne Plaza hotel Dundalk on Wednesday November 3rd. There was a great turnout of all the tidy town centres in Louth and each housing estate in Tallanstown was well represented, the hard work and effort made by the staff of the Environment and Housing Sections of Louth County Council made sure the night went without a hitch.

There were many winners and some surprises on the night. As expected Tallanstown walked away with several prizes.

The following are a list of the awards received by the village.

Overall winner of the best kept village in County Louth – Tallanstown. (click here to view judges comments)

1st prize Housing Estates Category B – Louth Hall Cottages. (click here to view judges comments)

2nd prize Housing Estates Category B – Castle View. (click here to view judges comments)

Adjudicators Award Category B – Chestnut Grove. (click here to view judges comments)

Adjudicators Award Category A – Rathbrist Cottages. (click here to view judges comments)

Overall winner Housing Estates Category D – Glyde Road Cottages. (click here to view judges comments)

Theresa McGee our long serving Secretary and volunteer was runner up to the Environmentalist of the Year 2010, this years overall winner was Larry Magnier, Blackrock Tidy Towns.

Retaining our gold medal and overall winner of Louth Litter League with cleanliness rating of 99% was Tallanstown.

The Louth Arms, Lennon’s Pub and Centra Tallanstown all received best-presented shop front awards.

All the above awards were achieved with the utmost dedication and hard work of our volunteers, the CE Scheme participants, Louth Leader and the Heritage Council are instrumental in helping to bring about the improved environmental changes in our village.

Finally thanks to the sponsors for their financial support in these difficult times.

Comments (0) Nov 06 2010

Louth County Council hosted a civic reception to the members of Tallanstown Tidy town committee and residents of the village to honour their wonderful achievement of winning this years National Tidy Towns competition.

The function, which was held in the Council chamber and civic offices was a very pleasant affair enjoyed by a large turnout of councillors, invited guests and residents from Tallanstown.

Councillor Liam Reilly was acting chairman and extended a warm welcome to all in attendance. Joan Martin representing Mr Conn Murray who was unavoidably absent spoke about the close relationship between the Council and the people of Tallanstown and Minister Dermot Ahern spoke of his delight that this award had returned to County Louth after an absence of 22 years.

Various councillors offered their own thoughts on this great achievement and Richard Barry Chairman of Tallanstown Tidy Towns thanked the Council for the great honour they had bestowed on the village and how delighted all the village residents were to have brought this trophy back to County Louth.

Followed the presentation of the citation to the people of Tallanstown by Councillor Reilly, the reception in the civic offices was enjoyed by all.

Next on the list of a very busy schedule is the Councils Louth Looking Good awards which take place in the Crowne Plaza on Wednesday November 3rd

Comments (0) Nov 01 2010

In this year’s competition Tallanstown were also the winners of the Midlands and East Regional Awards. As a result we will for the third year in a row be hosting the Regional awards.

All the winning towns and villages in the surrounding counties will be in the village to accept their various awards. This event will be held on Monday 15th November in the Glyde Rangers Hall. We hope to get as much help as possible to enable us organise this event to the high standard of previous years for which we have achieved many favourable comments.

Comments (0) Oct 09 2010

While the village has in its possession tow beautiful trophies, the tidiest small village and also the overall Ireland’s Tidy Towns, these trophies must be returned for next years competition. However to mark the achievement of winning Ireland’s Tidy Town competition a plaque is always erected in the winning centre and this plaque is always unveiled by the President of Ireland.

We have just recently in the last few days been informed by the Dept of the Environment that President Mary McAleese will visit Tallanstown on the 7th May 2011 to celebrate our victory and unveil the commemorative plaque. It will be a fantastic honour to our village to have the President visit us and we can all, as a community look forward to what will be possibly the most historic day in the history of our village.

Comments (0) Oct 09 2010

After twenty-six years of endeavour, we have finally achieved what we have set out to do and in conjunction with that we have managed to win the much-coveted title of Ireland’s Tidiest Town.

The work was a labour of love for many and was not achieved without the help and support of the entire Tallanstown community and for this we in the Tidy Towns organisation are very appreciative.

This victory is just reward for the years of dedicated service of the members of Tallanstown Tidy towns committee and we and the entire community can now look forward to a year of celebrating our success which will culminate with our President Mary McAleese unveiling a celebratory plaque in the village sometime in the new year.

We will of course have the tremendous honour of once again hosting the regional awards, which we so successfully hosted for the past two years.

Of course a word of thanks to Louth County Council and their environmental team for their invaluable support, to the Mid Louth CE workers and management who undertook their tasks with wonderful diligence and enthusiasm this year, and an enormous thanks to our sponsors and the funding agencies particularly to Louth Leader Partnership for their continued support down through the years.

Comments (0) Sep 18 2010

JUST ANNOUNCED

- TALLANSTOWN IS 2010  TIDY TOWNS

COMPETITION WINNER !!!!

Comments (5) Sep 13 2010

We are now in the height of the National Tidy Towns season with the possibility of judges coming to the village at any time between now and the middle of August.
The Tidy Towns committee have worked very hard over the last few months preparing the village for this years competition.
We are delighted with the enthusiastic response we have received from many residents who are working hard to improve the appearance of their own property and also keeping their own areas neat and tidy. The Community Employment scheme workers have certainly been working hard in recent weeks and their efforts are much appreciated by all concerned.
We would ask anybody planning to do work on tidying their own property to do so as soon as possible so that the village can gain the benefit of it when the judges do come for a second and third visit. (which they do)
Work sessions continue each Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7pm to 9pm

Comments (0) Jun 27 2010

The creation in the Credit Union is by 4th class Vere Foster NS, led by ms yvonne hanratty.Following research by the children the window piece was created to inform parents and the wider community about the lenght of time it takes various items to decompose when disposed of illegally or through the landfill system.,

Comments (0) May 24 2010

Tidy Towns work sessions continue every Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 7pm. Anybody interested in helping in these work sessions are asked to meet at the Old School at the above time. The Mid Louth CE workers are only capable of maintaining the large amount of grassed areas and working on specific projects around the village. However, many other projects such as planting and getting flowerbeds ready must be undertaken by volunteers. Please come and give a short period of time for the good of the entire village.

People may undertake weeding and planting in their own areas at any time convenient to themselves. Tidy Town judging will take place from June 1^st onwards.

We look forward to seeing each area represented and new volunteers to the work sessions are always welcome.

Comments (0) May 13 2010

Tallanstown Circular Church garden was planted up on Sunday April the 25^th a joint venture between Ms Pamela Whitaker and Tallanstown Parish resulted in the creation of a community biodiversity garden in the grounds of St Peter and Paul Church in the village.

Over the previous weeks Pamela consulted with Fr Clarke PP and members of the Mid Louth CE group both about the design and creation of the project. Parishioners, especially children, undertook the planting of the area. The garden is a symbol of community co-operation, seasonal cycles, sharing the common ground of community life, growing and learning together, and beautifying everyday places within the village landscape. Refreshments were served and each child took home with them a small gift made from recycled items found in the countryside.

Many thanks to Pamela, Fr Clarke, Noel Hart and Tommy from Mid Louth CE and all those who took the time to stay around after Mass to help plant up our community garden.

Comments (0) May 13 2010

National Spring Clean.

National Spring Clean is Ireland’s biggest anti-litter campaign. National Spring Clean encourages people from all walks of life to take pride in their local environment and to take action against litter. It runs throughout the whole month of April. The campaign relies on your support and this year Tallanstown Tidy Town’s committee will hold their spring-clean on Saturday April 17^th at 11am. All those willing to assist should come along and meet at the Old School.

We have a number of black spots to target and we would like all residents to make an effort to come out and help clean up any area they feel could do with a spring clean. Please come along and bring your children with you, as the saying goes ‘many hands makes light work’.

Tallanstown Tidy Towns.

The next meeting of Tallanstown Tidy Towns committee will take place on Tuesday April 20^th upstairs in the Old School at 8pm. All members are requested to attend.

Comments (0) Apr 15 2010

Following the success of our volunteer litter patrol last summer the
volunteers have started last weekend for weekend’s only for the next two
months.
Their schedule will work in conjunction with the Fas workers who pick up
each morning from Monday to Friday all year round. Like last year we hope to
reactivate the junior litter wardens. Week one patrollers were out last
weekend and next week it will be the turn of the week two group.
We as a community are grateful to the new members who came forward this year
to give their time and this brings our numbers to 40. which is a tremendous
show of support for the efforts the community make in keeping our village
and approach roads litter free.

Comments (0) Apr 01 2010

During the last few weeks Tallanstown tidy towns representatives have conducted a series of very well attended meetings with residents from all areas. The meetings were organised to give the residents opportunities to put forward ideas and projects that would enhance each area. Many worthwhile suggestions were made and these will be discussed and implemented according to their feasibility and finance available. Follow up meetings will be arranged to discuss development and progress.

During 2009 Tidy Towns season, as many as 35 volunteers were rostered on a weekly basis to participate in litter patrols in each and every area throughout the village. The success of this project can be gauged by the fact that Tallanstown were the winners of Louth Co Co litter league. Only a few marks were lost during the six inspections, which were conducted during the summer months. The village was also litter free during the Tidy Towns adjudication. These litter patrols will be organised again this year, and it is hoped that many more volunteers will play their part in keeping all area litter free.

It has emerged that a number of people have expressed an interest in pursuing the idea of creating a playground for the children of Tallanstown in some location in the village. While this is not within the remit of the Tidy Towns, the committee would be willing to facilitate the setting up of a group who would develop this idea.

A meeting will be held to gauge the level of interest in this project on Thursday February 11^th at 7.45pm in the Old School.

Tallanstown Tidy Towns committee will hold their next meeting in the Old School on Thursday February 11^th at 8.30pm. All members are requested to attend.

Comments (0) Feb 05 2010

Regional Awards.

Tallanstown Tidy Towns committee hosted their second regional awards ceremony for all the counties in Failte Ireland’s Midlands and East area on Monday November 23^rd.

Practically all the prize winning centres braved the bad weather to turn up on the night and receive their awards which was presented by Junior Minister Aine Brady T.D. Master of ceremonies for the night was Mr Kevin Kidney representing Failte Ireland.

Tallanstown Tidy Town committee left no stone unturned in their efforts to make everybody feel welcome and the feedback from those present was very positive and raised the already high profile that the village holds in the Tidy Towns competition.

Our thanks goes to Glyde Rangers for providing the hall, to Aine and Edel for the wonderful music, Finnan for the amplification, Louth County Council for their help in setting up the hall and the Civil Defence for their work on the night. Rhoda did a marvellous job in the weeks before the event and had everything ready for the big occasion. The Fas workers are thanked for any assistance given.

Last but by no means least an enormous thanks to all the Tidy Towns committee members who worked so hard on the days leading up to the event and on the night itself.

All those present were loud in their praise for the arrangements made, the welcome extended and the hospitality shown and many promised to return in the future to visit our village.

New Ideas.

In last years application in the Tidy Towns national competition Tallanstown Tidy Towns committee were able to indicate to the judges that 58 new projects had been completed since the previous years adjudication. These earned us some of our additional marks.

This year we hope to complete as many additional projects as possible but we need many new ideas as we have only a small number of projects planned so far.

With this in mind we intend to meet with the residents of all the housing estates in the village. Meetings will be arranged and advertised and we would hope that all residents in all estates would give us a wish list of what they would see as good ideas to improve their estates or indeed any areas of the village. This list will then be examined to see what can be done on a practical and financial level. We hope to arrange these meetings in early January and look forward to hearing some fresh ideas from all interested residents.

New Road Sweeper.

We have received the good news that the village will have access to a manual road sweeper in the New Year. This sweeper will be similar to the one so successfully used on a daily basis in Ardee and we hope that this will be of hugh assistance in keeping the village spick and span.

Traffic Control.

Despite the numerous rumours that are going round the village Tallanstown Tidy Towns committee had absolutely nothing to do with the placing of the speed bump on the Ardee Road. From what we can gather representations were made by some residents to local county councillors, a survey was conducted and it was felt that the speed bump was necessary and put in place.

The speed bump has certainly made traffic show down and should be regarded as a positive for the safety of children in particular. However, it goes without saying that it is absolutely not acceptable that some cars, and indeed lorries and tractors are now mounting the footpath in order to avoid slowing down. This is a recipe for a disaster and should be stopped before somebody is seriously injured.

Seasons Greetings.

On behalf of the committee we would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and New Year.

Comments (0) Feb 05 2010

With the arrival of the new year, Tallanstown Tidy Town Committee are already starting to plan for this year-s National Tidy Towns competition. We were within one mark of winning this competition last year.We feel that with hard work and lots of local support we can improve our position once again this year and possibly go one better and win the national title.
Winning the competition would be a wonderful achievement for the village and the county. It would also benefit substantially every resident in Tallanstown, as winning this competition would automaticly increase the value of property in Tallanstown sorrounding areas.
We have already plans for projects that we hope to complete this year, but we are looking for new projects which would improve the willage in any way. We would welcome suggestions from anybody in this regard.
Whit this in mind, we intend to hold a series of meetings with residents from each area of the village. ALL RESIDENTS WILL BE WELCOME TO ATTEND and we will be delighted to listen to any ideas individuals might have for improving their own areas or in fact any part of Tallanstown. All ideas will be listened to disscussed and undertaken according to their merits and the finance available.
In tis way we hope to come up with a list o new projects for all area whitch will enhance each area in significant way. It is very important to get input from as many residents as possible in each area. Don`t leave it to somebody else, HAVE YOUR SAY.
The first meting will be in tje Old School on Monday 25th January
7.30 pm for residents of Castleview
8.15 pm for residents of Chesnut Grove
Tuesday 26th January
7.30 pm for residents of Cherrycood Park
8.15 for residents of Louth Hall Cottages ond rest of the village centre.
The other areas will be catered for next week (dates notified)
We hope to see a large group of intrested residents at the meetings. If you have any interest in improving your area please come along and give your ideas.
Don`t underestimate how important your input will be.

Comments (0) Feb 04 2010

Celebrating 2009 result and 25 years.

Finishing 2nd in the National Tidy Town competition was certainly a wonderful achievement and Tallanstown Tidy Town committee have decided to invite all residents in the village to celebrate this terrific result. The fact that this is the 25th year of Tallanstown’s participation in this event is also a reason for marking this very special year.
The committee has decided to organise a celebration night in the Old School on Saturday October 3rd at 8.30pm and would issue an invitation to everybody in the community to come along and join in on this special occasion.
The committee has organised refreshments for all who turn up and hopefully the organised music will encourage all to celebrate in style. This event is not just for tidy towns people but is a way of acknowledging a big thank you for the support of the entire village in our efforts to make Tallanstown a nice place to live, work and visit.

The best year ever.

What a wonderful year 2009 has been for Tallanstown village in the Dept of the Environment National Tidy Towns competition. The village scored 304 points one point behind the winners Emly and Tallanstown now finds itself in 2nd place in the whole of Ireland. This is a fantastic result and a justification for all the hard work put in by so many People not only the Tidy Town volunteers but also all the people who presented their houses and businesses to such a marvellous standard, those who looked after flowers in the hanging baskets and landscaped areas and the many many volunteers both young and old who gave up so much time to make sure that Tallanstown remained litter free.
The FAS workers also played a part by keeping much of the grass areas neat and tidy and picking up litter in the early morning.
Louth County Council were also contributors to the effort by devoting huge resources to the village and for this we are grateful.
Every person can be justifiably proud of their village, we have all put Tallanstown on the map and we are already looking forward to 2010 when we can continue our efforts to improve our village and possibly win the National Tidy Town competition.

Tallanstown.com

How many people know that Tallanstown has a dedicated web site on the world wide web. This site has been developed and organised by Anna and Rafal Krok and they have created a wonderful amenity for not only people living in the village but more importantly for the many people who have left Tallanstown and settled in many parts of the world.
Now at the click of a button they can keep up to date with events as they happen in Tallanstown.
This site is kept up to date by Anna and Rafal and they are constantly looking for fresh updates about events and happenings around the village. Any individual or organisation that would like to submit articles for the web site are invited and encouraged to do so by contacting Anna or Rafal directly on the site.

Louth looking good awards.

Each year Louth County Council present prizes to the best kept village in County Louth and also to the best kept county council estates. This award ceremony will be held in the Crowne Plaza hotel on Thursday October 22nd and we hope that representatives from all the estates will attend. Invitations will be issued shortly to each residents association and hopefully the major efforts made by the villagers will be rewarded by prizes again this year.

Visitors.

Many people living in the village are delighted to see so many visitors coming to enjoy the delights of a visit to Tallanstown. Visitors from as far away as Donegal and Cork have commented to villagers how beautiful the place is and how much they have enjoyed touring around the various landscaped areas and following the heritage and ecology trails.
For many years Tallanstown was a forgotten village with few people bothering to travel except to pass through it and it is now acknowledged by many outside the village that people living here are indeed very lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

New committee members.

2009 saw the village one point behind the overall winner in the National Tidy Town competition, retain their gold medal status, win the Midland and East regional award and also win a national award for the new bring bank and a “Can it” award for recycling. However, at a recent meeting it was unanimously agreed that we should continue our efforts to improve our village and possibly win the National Title.
We need new projects for next year and while we are entering only the 2nd year of a three-year development plan we are still looking for fresh ideas.
Our committee has extended considerably since Entente Florale but we are always seeking new members with fresh ideas to sustain our efforts.
There are lots of villagers interested in Tidy Towns and we would welcome anybody with fresh ideas to come on to the committee where you will be made more than welcome. Any ideas that anybody might have for improvements to the village will be welcomed and fully examined. Nobody will be overburdened by too many meetings.

Comments (0) Oct 03 2009

For many years now Tallanstown Tidy Town committee has been following a plan for developing the village to its highest potential.
The development encompasses many aspects of village life and includes the development of a heritage trail designed to highlight all aspects of the history of the village, which will be particularly useful to visitors.
This year we have made some additions to the heritage trail and the creation of a statue to Vere Foster is definitely the highlight of these additions.
It was decided by the committee in its review of how to progress that this statue would play an important part in our heritage trail.
Ann Meldon Hugh was commissioned to create the statue last January with a completion date for June. Ann did a brilliant job and the end product is universally admired by all.
The funding for this project was extremely important. The Irish National Teachers organisation came on board to honour the wonderful contribution Vere Foster made to Irish education and because he was their first President and we are very grateful for their very generous contribution.
However, it goes without saying that this project could not and would not have progressed without the wonderful contribution of Louth Leader Partnership. The board of Leader were very enthusiastic regarding this project, the first project funded by the new board, and Tallanstown Tidy Towns committee are extremely grateful for the wonderful contribution made to this local initiative.
From the excellent feedback we are getting from the many visitors, who came to view the statue it is felt Louth Leader Partnership will be getting the positive acknowledgement they deserve for their foresight.
The committee are presently planning the official unveiling of the statue in the near future and we will be able at this point to acknowledge to a much wider audience and in the presence of invited guests from Louth Leader Partnership and the I.N.T.O, the contribution made by these groups towards the completion of this innovative project.

Comments (0) Sep 04 2009

Best wishes to the representatives of Tallanstown Tidy Town Committee who have been invited to the annual Award Ceremony of the National Tidy Town competition which is being held this year in Kilmainham Hospital, Dublin on Monday September 7th. Six members of our hardworking committee will be selected to represent the community at this award ceremony and we know whatever the outcome it has been a busy year both for the National Tidy Town workforce. Judging by the number of visitors and favourable comments by them our work has been well worthwhile.
We would like to wish other communities in County Louth who may have also received an invitation to the award ceremony the best of luck on the day and may we do the Wee County proud.

Comments (0) Sep 04 2009

It is the height of the National Tidy Towns judging season and with this in mind the committee are asking all residents of the village to be extra vigilant with regard to their disposal of litter. We hope to receive a second visit from the judges in the near future and they will be pleased with what they see.

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Work on the new sensory garden in Maguire Park is now complete and it’s worth a visit, and should add an extra interest to an already very pleasant area of our village.

Comments (0) Jul 19 2009

Tidy Towns.

With the Tidy Towns season in full swing many villages and towns around County Louth are looking very well and are a credit to all the workers from the various communities who give so much of their free time in pursuit of making their own locations pleasant places to live in.

Tallanstown village has completed all their proposed projects for this year and are hoping that their work will impress the Tidy Towns judges when they visit to adjudicate this year.

In recent weeks a newly commissioned statue of Vere Foster has been sited at the village centre and has evoked much favourable comment from the may people who have stopped to admire this beautiful sculpture. Our thanks to the sculpture Ann Meldon Hugh who interpreted our request to perfection. Funding for this statue came from Louth Leader Partnership and the Irish National Teachers Organisation whose first president was in fact Vere Foster.

A new sensory garden has been located in Maguire Park and is well worth a visit. In fact Maguire Park with its beautiful wildlife area contrasting wonderfully with the manicured grass area and biodiversity planting is a location where anybody could spend a very relaxing half-hour or so.

The entire village with its extended ecology and heritage trails is really looking splendid and any visitors or locals looking for some where beautiful to visit could spend a very productive day wandering around this very picturesque village on the banks of the Glyde.

Comments (0) Jun 20 2009